Stormont Vail Health has received the Get With the Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus and also a Get With the Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for heart failure care.
Both were achieved by participating in a quality improvement program that helps hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, research-based standards with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions in heart failure and stroke patients.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Stormont Vail Health has achieved the highest award possible. The gold plus portion of the award shows that we demonstrate consistency in compliance with significant quality and achievement measures related to the care of the stroke patient.
The Target: Stroke SM Honor Roll Elite Plus portion of the award was achieved in 2015, the first year it was offered. Stormont Vail Health achieved this award by treating more than 50 percent of ischemic stroke patients who met certain criteria in less than 45 minutes from the time they arrived in the Emergency Department.
In order to treat patients this quickly, we have an excellent team that consists of stroke nurses, physicians, lab phlebotomists, CT technicians, nurses and patient care technicians that all work together to make sure the needs of the patient are met.
In addition, Stormont Vail Health has received the Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation’s secondary prevention guidelines for patients with heart failure.
Stormont Vail Health earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients. These measures include evaluation of the patient, proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies, such as ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, anticoagulants and other appropriate therapies. Before patients are discharged, they receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as receive other care transition interventions.
Stormont Vail Health has also received the association’s Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll. Target: Heart
FailureSM is an initiative that provides hospitals with educational tools, prevention programs and treatment guidelines designed to reduce the risk of heart failure patients ending up back in the hospital. Hospitals are required to meet criteria that improves medication adherence, provides early follow-up care and coordination 
and enhances patient education. The goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.